At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead external communications and media relations to boost Wren Sterling's profile.
- Company: Join a fast-growing independent financial advice business with a supportive culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, performance-related bonus, and flexible hybrid working.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Why this job: Shape the narrative of a trusted wealth management brand and drive real impact.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in communications or PR, ideally in financial services.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 75000 ÂŁ per year.
Location: London / Hybrid role with flexible office days commitments. Travel to other Wren Sterling locations across the UK, as required.
Salary: ÂŁ65,000-ÂŁ75,000 + performance-related bonus + benefits.
About Wren Sterling:
Wren Sterling is a UK-wide independent financial advice business working with over 30,000 clients. In complex markets that change frequently, we help our Workplace and Private clients make the right financial choices to feel confident and in control of their finances. In the Private Client market, we specialise in all aspects of pensions, investments, retirement planning, estate planning and tax planning. For our Workplace clients, we are experts in workplace pensions, employee benefits, and workplace wellbeing strategies, helping organisations and their employees take the biggest financial decisions. We’re a fast-growing business committed to giving our employees a fulfilling experience where everyone can grow professionally in a supportive environment.
Role Overview:
The Head of Communications will play a pivotal role in raising the external profile of Wren Sterling, building our reputation as a trusted, forward-thinking wealth management business. With primary responsibility for external communications, this role will shape how Wren Sterling is seen across consumer and trade media, ensuring consistent, compelling and authoritative coverage that supports business growth, particularly across our Direct channel. The role will also lead the development of a coordinated media capability across the business, while overseeing internal and client communications to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with our brand and strategic priorities.
Key responsibilities:
- External communications & media relations: Develop and deliver a clear external communications strategy that increases the visibility and credibility of Wren Sterling across consumer and trade titles, showcasing our advice and investment expertise. Build and manage strong relationships with key journalists, editors and media outlets relevant to our audiences. Proactively identify and secure high-quality media opportunities, including commentary, features, interviews and thought leadership. Create and lead the Wren Sterling “media team”, coordinating spokespeople across the business and ensuring they are well-briefed, confident and media-ready. Own the media narrative, ensuring consistent messaging aligned to our brand, positioning and commercial objectives. Anticipate and manage reputational risk, working closely with senior stakeholders on sensitive or high-profile issues.
- Growth marketing acceleration: Work with the Head of Growth Marketing to identify key subject matters that Wren Sterling wants to be seen as an authority on and coordinate PR activity accordingly. Work towards digital visibility metrics and align results to digital performance.
- Measurement & reporting: Define clear success measures for communications activity, including reach, quality, sentiment and commercial impact. Produce regular, insightful reporting that demonstrates the contribution of communications to brand strength, lead generation and growth, particularly within the Direct channel. Use insight and data to continuously refine and improve communications activity.
- Internal communications: Coordinate internal communications to ensure colleagues are informed, engaged and aligned with business priorities. Work with senior leaders to translate strategy into clear, motivating messages for the wider business. Support major business updates, change initiatives and key announcements with well-structured internal communications. Develop a framework for personalised internal communications, using Microsoft SharePoint, or another suitable system. Identify where internal messaging can translate into valuable external communications.
- Client communications: Lead and oversee client communications, ensuring they are clear, timely and consistent with the Wren Sterling brand and values. Work closely with Marketing, Growth Marketing and client-facing teams to ensure communications support client engagement, trust and retention.
Key stakeholders:
- Chief Executive
- Marketing Director
- Head of Growth Marketing
Skills & experience:
- Proven senior-level experience in communications, PR or media relations, ideally within financial services, wealth management or a regulated environment.
- Strong track record of securing high-quality coverage in consumer and trade media.
- Experience of building and managing spokesperson programmes and media capability across an organisation.
- Excellent writing, editing and briefing skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics without losing credibility.
- Confident working with senior leaders and acting as a trusted adviser on communications and reputation.
- Strong analytical mindset, with experience measuring and reporting on communications effectiveness.
Personal attributes:
- Strategic, proactive and commercially minded.
- Calm and assured under pressure.
- Collaborative and collegiate, with the confidence to lead and influence.
- Deeply committed to maintaining and enhancing the Wren Sterling brand.
What success looks like:
- Stronger external profile: Wren Sterling achieves sustained, high-quality coverage across priority consumer and trade media, with growing share of voice and consistent, on-message positioning.
- Recognised thought leadership: Senior spokespeople are regularly featured as trusted experts on priority pensions, investments and planning topics aligned to commercial goals.
- Effective media capability: A well-trained, confident media team is in place, with strong journalist relationships and increasing inbound requests from tier-one publications.
- Clear commercial impact: PR activity demonstrably supports growth, particularly within the Direct channel, contributing to increased digital visibility, referral traffic and qualified enquiries.
- Insight-led measurement: Robust reporting clearly shows reach, quality, sentiment and commercial contribution, with insights actively used to optimise performance.
- Strong reputation management: Reputational risks are anticipated and managed calmly and effectively, maintaining predominantly positive or neutral sentiment.
- Clear, aligned internal and client communications: Internal and client communications are timely, clear and on-brand, supporting colleague engagement, client trust and retention.
Head of Communications employer: Wren Sterling
Contact Detail:
Wren Sterling Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Communications
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to folks on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a personal website or portfolio that highlights your achievements and showcases your expertise in communications. This is your chance to shine and give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews like it’s game day! Research the company, understand their values, and think about how your experience aligns with their goals. Practice common interview questions and come armed with examples of how you’ve tackled challenges in the past.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After an interview, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a simple gesture that can leave a lasting impression and keep you top of mind as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Communications
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for communications and the financial sector shine through. We want to see how your passion aligns with our mission at Wren Sterling!
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in communications, especially in financial services. We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate a strong track record, so don’t hold back on those achievements!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your writing clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that are easy to read. Remember, you’re showcasing your communication skills here!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows us you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Wren Sterling
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into Wren Sterling's values and recent news. Understand their approach to financial advice and how they position themselves in the market. This will help you tailor your responses and show that you're genuinely interested in the company.
✨Showcase Your Media Savvy
Prepare examples of your past successes in securing media coverage or managing communications strategies. Be ready to discuss how you've built relationships with journalists and how you can leverage those skills for Wren Sterling's growth.
✨Be Data-Driven
Since the role involves measuring communication effectiveness, come prepared with insights from your previous roles. Discuss how you've used data to refine strategies and demonstrate the impact of your communications on business growth.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Think about how you would communicate with senior leaders and other stakeholders at Wren Sterling. Prepare to discuss how you would translate complex topics into clear messages that align with the company's strategic priorities, showcasing your collaborative approach.